Today I’m bringing you a wallet-friendly version of body wraps. I’ve been seeing these around the internet lately and mentioned them to a friend. She’s from Mexico and said she’s been doing those for years, just not the commercialized type. I tried it one night and lost .5 inches on my gut overnight!Here’s her “secret recipe” for DIY Body Wrapping. You only need 3 things: Lotion, Plastic Wrap, and Ace Bandage

I saw this tip on pinterest and I figured I should try it.

After all, I didn’t embarrass myself enough with my shaving post (remember how I let my leg hair grow into a full crop?!), so it seemed like a great idea to try some more internet self-humiliation.

First I measured my waist for a baseline number. It measured XX inches.

(The above number has been censored, for your own protection. Because if you read the actual number of inches it takes to go around my not-so-svelte waist, I’d have to kill you. Or myself. One or the other.)

Then I gathered my supplies:

Moisturizer (Natural is best; something from the sea –like kelp or mud– is suggested, but you can use plain lotion.)

Step 1 – Apply a thick layer of lotion to the area you want to target. {Don’t rub it in completely!} You can do it on your stomach, your thighs, your upper arms, wherever your “trouble spots” are.

Step 2 – Wrap the ENTIRE area with your plastic wrap. I went all the way around my mid-section several times. Make it snug but not tight; you do have to wear it ALL night long.

Step 3 – Now wrap the area with a long bandage of some kind, anything that will keep your wrap in place. Be sure to cover the plastic completely. Secure it well and you’re ready to hit the sack!

Here I am, looking completely ridiculous, right before going to bed, making a crinkling noise with every step.

I crack myself up.

I got into bed in the dark, rustling loudly like a candy wrapper in the movie theater. I said to my husband, “I’m doing something strange for my blog.”

“Oh yeah?” he said sleepily. “Let me guess… You smeared yourself in oil, and then wrapped up in Saran wrap and Ace bandage.”

I was dumbfounded. “What? You could tell that from the sound in the dark?” I asked, impressed.

“No,” he said. “I saw your weird supply stash in the bathroom.” Then he went to sleep.

It was a little tougher for me to fall asleep, being trussed up like leftovers from Thanksgiving. Also I was sweating.

But this was actually the point. I’ll quote, “The idea behind the wrap is to help your body release water that’s retained due to weather, food consumption; even Mother Nature’s visits. The combination of lotion and plastic helps sweat it out of you.” (That’s from my friend at iheartnaptime again.)

Okay, so the next morning I unwrapped myself, with difficulty, as the whole thing had bunched up quite a bit. then I measured my waist again, and it was XX inches!!

It was super creamy, but did not use any butter or cream. There was only skim milk and cheddar cheese.

Now, I haven’t done the calorie math on this, but it’s got to be healthier than regular mac and cheese. (Especially when paired with frozen broccoli, as above. Bravo to me! Ha ha.)

The only drawback was that it required more standing and stirring than I usually prefer. (I’m lazy like that.) In my experience, it took longer than the 25 minutes on low for the milk to thicken; I think it was more like 35 minutes.

In a small saucepan, add pasta and milk. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until pasta is soft, stirring frequently and ensuring milk does not boil.

Turn heat off, add cheese & salt & and stir to combine. Stir in the mustard or nutmeg & cayenne a little at a time, to taste. Cover and let stand for a couple of minutes, then stir again and serve. If not creamy enough, add milk a little at a time, and gently stir.

If you would like to bake it at this point, place in a baking dish and top with a generous sprinkling of cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes until cheese has melted.

I saw this tip on pinterest for switching scents in a melted-wax “Scentsy” warmer.

Place a cotton ball in your melted wax and watch it absorb before your eyes, after it’s absorbed throw it away. Easy way to switch scents.

I have two of these plug-in warmers in my house and they make it smell GREAT! The only “problem” is, you have to change out the scent every few days to keep it fresh. (I alternate upstairs and downstairs.)

Normally, what I do is switch off the warmer so that the wax hardens, and then gouge it out with the back of a (no-eraser) pencil.

It usually comes out pretty cleanly. (Not counting the dead bug embedded in the wax above, of course.)

But I thought this cotton-ball tip was worth a try.

First of all, one cotton ball wasn’t enough.

And then the challenge was to get the cotton balls unstuck from my fingers and into the trash.

My fingertips still feel a little gucky.

Still, though, I guess this tip would work well enough if you didn’t want to wait for the wax to harden.

I saw this on pinterest about detangling your dolls’ hair with fabric softener, so I thought I’d try it.

After all, with four daughters in the house, ranging in age from 17 to 5, we have some nasty-haired dollies around here.

<< I chose these two dolls to receive the honors.

There were a few different methods mentioned of using the fabric softener, all requiring a solution of half Downy/half water. I could dunk the doll’s head, spray the doll’s hair, or dip a comb in the solution.

The problem was, there was not ONE of these ideas that didn’t require me to spend a bunch of time working tangles out of a doll’s hair with a plastic comb.

Not exactly something I want to spend a TON of time on, you know?

I got started with the easier doll, the brunette Barbie. I think she’s “Teresa”?

I dipped the comb in the Downy water and combed her hair. It was boring. I lost interest halfway through and the extremely FRESH!!! scent of the fabric softener started to make me feel sick. Still, she didn’t come out looking too bad.

Then I pulled Jasmine out of her Downy dunk.

Does she look like she’s enjoying a spa day, or being drowned? I’m not sure…

Her hair still looked AWFUL. I mean, this doll has one giant dreadlock on the back of her head. The only difference now was that her hair was dripping blue FRESHNESS!!! all over the place. Ugh.